Notes / Commercial Description:
HERCULES DOUBLE IPA is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for the gods. HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile. 85 IBUs.

I must say I do like the Great Minds Drink Alike logo stamped on the top of the bottle cap. Anyway, it pours a deep rusty orange color with a short and creamy head that leaves trails of lace on the walls of the glass. Pungent hop aromas are quite noticeable as well as a bit of fresh pine and a hint of alcohol. The taste begins with a sugary sweetness and fresh lemon followed by a touch of bready malt all leading up to a big kick of bitter raw hop resins. A grapefruit rind aftertaste lingers on the tongue until the next sip. This is one heck of an IPAdefinitely recommended.

Pours a deep, transparent copper with glowing pumpkin highlights while raising a half-inch head of tight, off-white foam. An attractive ring of delicate lace is left after my first sip, but, curiously, not on any subsequent sips. There are few solid, lethargic trails of carbonation. First aromas are of brown sugar maltiness doing a good job of keeping PNW hop astringency in check. After a stronger swirl of the glass, however, the hops display citrus and pollen--so much, in fact, that combined with the dryness of the nosefeel, I feel like I'm snorting goldenrod. Even less pleasant is the fact that the citric elements here are artificial and solvent, like orange cleaning spray. (See my review of GD's Yeti.) The hops work better in the flavor, offering tons of pine sap flavor highlighted by unsweetened mint and genever, pulling towards a powerful cedary bite. The malt flavors (wheat and raw clover honey) are in the sediment--so pour it! Mouthfeel is oily and coating where some carbonation would help. Furthermore, the drinkability is impeded by the aftertaste, which is just too long--it simply doesn't know when to just dry up and gracefully depart. Another competent but seriously overrated beer from this brewery.

Pours a cloudy golden orange with reddish hues throughout, and a nice off white head that leaves incredible lacing. Aroma is breathtaking, huge dose of citrusy hops with hints of grapefruit and lemon as well as a piney, resiny aroma and a light carmelly malt scent. Taste begins with a massive hop flavor; I detect grapefruit, lemon, pine oil/sap, herbal and floral notes, then the malt which for the most part takes a backseat but is hefty enough to stand up to the hops. The malt profile is lightly sweet with hints of caramel and turbinado sugar and a hint of hazelnut maybe. The finish is dry and pretty bitter and complex (but not at all unpleasant) and the alcohol is noticeable but not really any more so than other highly hopped IPA's, in other words it's well concealed. Another excellent brew from great divide, it's very much like the TItan on steroids (kind of similar to the relationship of the bell's expedition and kalamazoo stouts)...hopefully we'll see this one in NC soon. POP THE CAP!!!

Pours a bold, hazy amber-orange color with a substantial amount of perfectly-suspended sediment. Topped off with a thick, creamy head that reduces quickly but laces well and never really goes away. Very hoppy at the front of the nose with piney notes that are crisp yet softened by the malts. Mouthfeel struck me even more than the taste--a nice balance of smoothness and structure. The hop oils are certainly present but don't overwhelm. The same is true for the taste, which is expectedly hoppy but not terribly bitter, thanks to a happy melding with the malts. Besides the piney notes mentioned earlier, there are nice citrus flavors as well. Nicely done.

Surprisingly medium bodied with a very clean taste. For 9.1% this thing could have been as thick as a barleywine, but its not at all. Magnificent fresh citrus hop taste. Sharp pepper, citrus peel, grapefruit, Caramel, a light nuttiness, mostly though just a big, clean, very crisp malt that lets the fresh citrus hop shine through.
The finish has a lingering minty, spice taste.

Amazingly this beer is never overpowering with the hop taste, even at 81 IBUs.

This beer is really outstanding. The fresh citrus taste is just so crystal clear against the perfectly balanced malt. Its like when you can see into a clear lake or something. More please.

Thanks to hoppedup for the bottle,pours a slightly hazy deep orange with a tight one finger head that leaves a nice sheet of lace behind.Wow this puppy is hopped to the tilt intense orange and lemon hit with an underlying pine,big juicy citrusy flavors just bursting out at ya i do notice a touch of nutty malt it barely holds up to the intense hoppiness but its there.A slight alcohol burn is noticable not bad in any way,this beer is bad ass and takes no prisoners,hell yeah.

This is a big beer, so I normally don't drink too much at one time. Clear sparkling amber when served, I picked up on a motley crew of aromas: stomped summer grass that the cat rolled in, with low pine dangling over. Strong medium to full mouthfeel, the malts are present, but so are the hops. I find this one just a bit hot. Enjoyable, but know when to stop.

For a DIPA I was expecting more. This beer looked really good clear Amber with a fluff of a white head that leaves lace. A good smell of citrus hops that go well with the maltyness. The taste is of crystal malt to the extreme. The hops are a good hit of citrus spice and as well as the deep bitterness that is expected. The malt flavor just take away from a good display of the hops ever if they are a bit grassy. It holds up in the mouth and is not too cloy and is not hard to drink a dinner bottle at 9%. Not the first among DIPA but good if it is available.

This beer got better as it warmed up in this insufferably hot night. Pours a perfectly clear copper in color. Thick head and plenty of lacing on the glass. Aroma is tough to place, but I know I like it a lot. Lots of nice wood tones wrapped around some pretty earthy hops. Flavor is awesomely balanced. The malts hit you first and finish last. They start off very sweet but end up leaving a dry feeling on the tongue. The hops provide a nice kick inbetween. with a little bit of pine and awesome florals. Also getting hints of wood and some toastiness around the edges. Mouthfeel is full bodied and wonderfully refreshing tonight. Very drinkable, I don't even realize this beer is 9.1% ABV. Want more.

Deep coppery coloration and lots of fine carbonation crawling up the sides of the glass. Thick, dense off-white head that was present throughout, start to finish.
Nose just reeked of hops aromas; big-time pine sap and needles, grapefruit and tangerine rinds. Malt base is evident thanks to the light caramel and faintly earthy notes.
Taste had a solid sweetly malty platform that stood up well to the incoming onslaught of citrus and pine flavors. Hercules seems to pack in just about every kind of flavor there is in terms of describing hops. Sappy, resinous spruce, a torrent of juicy grapefruit pith; you name it, it's there. Let's not forget the alcohol, just barely registering against the 600lb gorilla hops load. It's there, just behind the veil.
Well-carbonated, Hercules has a full, lush and velvety feel.
Even wieghing in at 9.1%ABV, Hercules is dangerously drinkable, to the point where coordination may be compromised. Hercules is a stand-out double IPA. One of the best there is and worth seeking out.

This is a copper colored brew, with a big tan head that results from a nice cascade. Sheets of lace stick to the glass. The scent is a great citrus hop scent, which evidences high hop levels. The taste has a sweet pale malt front, which is dominated by a huge hop presence. Sticky citrus/bitter hops, great taste. Smooth creamy mouth, some stickyness from the hop oils.

Smell = In your face hops like any good double IPA should smell. This one puts emphasis on the citrus flavors. Smells very similar to a Smuttynose.

Taste = Interesting. Definitely not as sweet as a Dogfish head 90 minute and a little lighter and less syrupy. The hop kick is intense. Great grapefruit aftertaste leaves your mouth refreshed and desperately wanting the next sip. Hides the alcohol extremely well. Great transition from hops to cirtus. Feels light on the mouth, almost soothing. Great mouthfeel.

Overall = a standout double IPA. Right up there with 90 minute as my favorite IPAs. This one is lighter and I could drink more of it. I think it would go better on a hot Summer day and is a much better compliment to certain foods. Highly recommended for all IPA fans.

Poured into a pint glass and snifter. Perfect clarity of a ruby orange with a fat rocky head. Laces tremendousy all the way down, friggin gorgeous.

The aroma is a malt base soaked in piney hops. Citric and juicy. Very strong and pleasant, not overkill at all.

Hop juice, super clean bitterness with pine and citrus. Very well balanced with strong malt backbone. Not as intense as many an IIPA, but that could be because of how well balanced this is. Super clean, oily, juicy with a grapefruit lingering finish.

Very drinkable. This bad boy is 9 percent and that could lead to trouble. Supremely drinkable. This is an awesome IIPA, more subdued and well balanced than most. Killer.

Hecules Double IPA is a monster!
The beer poured out an amber color with some orange highlights towards the bottom. A 1" foamy off-white head rests on top for a while then recedes to about a 1/4" and leaves nice lacing on the glass.
The nose, man, the nose!!! HOPS!! Lemon peel, orange peel, hard candy, pine oil, a pungent liquid christmas tree!
The taste is dominated by the super hop bitterness from lips to throat. At first the citrus in the aroma is not apparent in the taste, after the beer warms a little the tangy citrus comes out. Sort of a medicinal or cough drop aftertaste. It has a nice finish and I could taste some malt balance in there.
The beer warms up nicely and seems to mellow a little after 30 or so minutes out of the bottle, or is that me mellowing?!!? I am wondering if this might age well and change in the bottle. Might be worth a try.
This Double IPA from Great Divide is a very enjoyable "on occassion" beer.

This was a 22oz. bomber purchased at Union Jack's on the Manatawny. No date on the label, though I doubt it would matter that much with a beer this big.

Pours a hefe-weizen-like hazy, copper/orange with a 1" rocky, cream colored head. Fairly strong carbonation is evident. Head drops to @ 1/8" after a few minutes, and remains for the duration. Great lacing on the glass; count all the sips.

At first there is a strong fruity, floral, grapefruit and lemon aroma. Maybe slight resiny pine. After a few minutes, a sweet caramel/malt smell is detected. You can pick up alcohol as it warms.

The first flavor is a smooth, sweet maltiness immediately hammered away by a huge, pleasant blow of bitterness. Citrusy, floral hop flavor permeates throughout. There is a long, lingering hop flavor (grapefruit) and bitterness. This brew has hops out the wazoo!

Mouth-puckeringly bitter. Malt sweetness, sticky on your lips, confirms this to be a well balanced beer for its size. Carbonation feels surprisingly soft. Hop resins linger on the tongue for quite a spell.

I would drink this until I fell over, which probably wouldn't take too long! I don't know what Great Divide could do to improve this, except to give it away free! A very good representation of the style.

My "Bro" Artied2 has been going on and on about this bier.... So when I finally saw one locally I just had to snag it....

Out of the bottle it comes, a clear, rich, deep, dark golden bronze hue. Head was slightly off-white and creamy, maintaining at about 1/4" for a while before fading to a thin layer. The fine, tight bubbles leave nice lacing in the glass.

Has a toasty malt nose along with a piney hop flourish, though less than expected. Still enticing.

Hitting the tongue, it has a medium body along with a creamy smooth, velvety feel in the mouth. Has a touch of bubbliness, but doesn't get prickly at all.

Flavor is a big, toasty malt hit at the outset, with an almost Fest-like sweetness and a sort of crystal malt flavor. Very hoppy shortly thereafter, but more of a resiny flavor than an out-and-out citrus lean. Hops are sharp, and almost spicy, to a point. Lovely combo with the caramel-like notes from the malt. Reminds me both of Smutty Big-A as well as the Bastard in some respects. Nice stuff!

crystal clear amber, thick two finger head with big craters and quick to stick lace all over the glass. smell is citrusey but not overwhelming, sweet with malt and alcohol notes. deep inhalations actually made me salivate profusely. mouthfeel is insanely light and bubbly, taste is bright hops, honey, licorice and finishes with a bitter and rather chalky hop resin punch. hides the alcohol for sure, but a little rough for me. the more i sip, the more that mellows and develops into an overall hop cocoon and belly-warming pleasant alcohol effect. aftertaste, once the 'ipa' is gone, is sweet and flowery. not my favorite 2x ipa, but worthwhile if you dont have to bust your ass acquiring it.

WOW!! For a beer with this ABV it sure goes down smooth. Smoothness is the main characteristic i noted with this beer. I hadd a 22 oz. bottle and drank it way faster than i should have simply because it went down so easy and tasted so delicious. The only reason i rated the drinkability 4 rather than 5 is because of the high ABV, one is enough.

Great appearance, tons of velvety lacing the whole way. That's about all I was impressed with with this beer though. Both smell and taste were pure hops. Boatloads of citrusy and piney hops. I tasted hardly any malt whatsoever, and very little alcohol. Mouthfeel was very harsh as well, not at all creamy like I look for in a double IPA. I could barely finish my pint.

This Great Divide offering pours a really interesting orangish color with a darker shade in the middle. Big volumnous head holds up well. Just tons and tons of sticky ass lacing. Aroma is a bit weak. What, no dry hoppping? Citrus, syrup, yeast that about it in the nose of this beer. Taste really surprised me. It's a gigantic hop hit right from the get go. Huge citric hops upfront. Really reminiscent of pineapple. In fact, that's all I'm really noticing in this beer, pineapple. Lots of piney bitterness. Malts don't really hold up. There's a sweet residual sugar around my mouth but I get almost no flavor from the malts. Finish is sharp and lingers with piney bitterness. Thick mouthfeel holds the hops together but it's almost too thick. A nice, intense, in your face double IPA but not one of the best I have had.

Orange amber with a tall head os off white that is supported by lively carbonation. Good retention and a nice lace sticks to the glass.

Smells of piney hops and grapefruit. Sharp and very bitter. Hard time finding the malts or anything else.

The malts are slightly sweet and more noticable when tasted, but the hops take over and dominate the palate. Long lingering dry finish that's almost oily. Not bad, but not great. If you really crave lots of hops, this one is for you.

Slightly oily mouthfeel, not much of a session beer due to high abv and hop overkill.

Smell - Floral hops galore, with malt as background. I also pick up pungent hop smell - it sort of forms the base for the whole aroma experience.

Taste - I happen to enjoy hop overkill, and this beer fits the ticket perfectly. I have a hard time concentrating on the malt, but some sweet flavors develop as the beer warms. The hops are so rough that a small burn develops at the back of teh throat. Stylistically, this beer is almost perfect.

Mouthfeel - Almost resiny. This is super thick beer. Offer a macro brew drinker a sip of this for a serious checkle.

Drinkability - How drinkable is a beer that gives you instant cotton mouth? It can be pretty darn drinkable, if it's Hercules. It will probably improve if aged for a while.

Comments - Not for the faint of heart. Drink this if you ever need to restore your faith in anything.